Thursday, September 23, 2010

Mid Autumn Festival Dinner

Lunch date: September 22, 2010
Occasion: Mid Autumn Festival Dinner

Number of people: Four
Cost: HK$680(US$87.1), inclusive of 10% service charge

Restaurant name: Shanghai Xiao Nan Guo
Restaurant address: 12/F Time Square, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Restaurant telephone: 852-2874-8899


It was Mid Autumn Festival yesterday, we tried to book a table for a family dinner. In Hong Kong, the day of Mid Autumn Festival is a working day, but the day after is a public holiday. Reason being the moon is being admired at night, so people can still work during the day. But a holiday is granted on the next day due to late night sleep.

Because it was a festival day, the restaurant only allowed us to book either 6pm or 8pm just to maximise their business. However the restaurant owner might have over estimated his business. We were there at 6.30pm and was requested to leave before 8pm. However we saw some tables were vacant until we left. The food was served speedily. Well, that's the way they made us to leave on time. Here are our favourites.



Cold Cut - Sliced Chicken with Jelly Noodle
we had to stir up the dish with the sesame sauce
雞絲粉皮 (HK$58)
Sliced Chicken with Jelly Noodle (before stirring)

Noodle with Green Onion 蔥油辦面
(HK$78)
My Number One Favourite
Deep Fried Mini Yellow Fish
小黃魚 (HK$28@)
Very crispy and very yummy!!!
This is in fact a signature dish of Xiao Nan Guo

Stewed Pork's Knuckle
Another signature dish and our favourite
元蹄 (HK$188)

Soup: Salty Pork with Bean Curd Sheets 奄篤鮮 (HK$118)
They didn't present the soup -
only served a mini bowl for each of us - hence no photo

Hong Kong Food Blog - Mid Autumn Festival Dinner

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Moon Cake and Partner Fruits

Tomorrow is Mid Autumn Festival (September 22, 2010) - August 15 in Chinese calendar.

Moon cakes are my favourites. Though cake makers in Hong Kong are very innovative, making all kinds of fruit, ice cream ... moon cakes, but what I really love are the traditional ones - lotus seed paste with egg yolks.

We usually eat fruits along with moon cakes as fruits are delicious and healthy. There are fruits which are exceptional tasteful around Mid Autumn Festival and they are pomelo, star fruit and grapes. Seedless green grapes are wonderful. In fact, not only me, most Hong Kong people eat these mid autumn fruits together with moon cakes.

I'm going to enjoy eating my juicy pomelo and moon cakes after writing this post. Happy Mid Autumn Festival!

My Favourite Moon Cakes and Pomelo

My favourite moon cake fruit partners:
green grapes and star fruit

My green trio and moon cakes are perfect match!

When I was a kid, we made lanterns from the left-over pomelo peels. Well, many kids had this game for fun. Star fruit is also the shape of many lanterns even nowadays.

Hong Kong Food Blog - Moon Cakes and Fruits


Thursday, September 16, 2010

More Cantonese Dim Sum and Dessert

Just realise that I haven't posted dim sum photos for some time. Here are some of my recent collections.


Traditional Cantonese Breakfast
Congee and Rice Roll 皮蛋瘦肉粥
Among which, congee with salty sliced pork and millenium egg + steamed rice roll is the classic duo. But today we chose the stir fried rice rolls.


Stir Fried Rice Rolls 炒腸粉
Chinese Pancake 煎薄餅
Deep Fried Dumplings 咸水角
Assorted Dim Sums 各式點心
Why we feel happy eating dim sum is that we enjoy
seeing the whole table full of delicious dishes of our own choice.
And everybody busy picking their own favourites.
一齊來多多點心, 大家都好開心

Fluid Egg Yolk Bun

Inside the Egg Yolk Bun 奶黃飽
Better eat it hot, or the fluid staffing will liquidate


Chinese Donut 蛋散
A very traditional Cantonese Dessert
I was eating this when I was a kid.
This should be one of the oldest
Hong Kong traditional dessert.

Hong Kong Food Blog - Assorted Dim Sum

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Black Listed Restaurant

I don't always have luck, such as this horrible dinner. In fact, this restaurant is not the first time upset me. I have therefore decided to black list it. The other day we ordered four dishes, only one got a marginal pass.

Steam Scallop with Jelly Noodle - Most Horrible
Could not sense any temperature - Perhaps done an hour before we placed the order. The jelly noodles were just like iron wires.

凍冰冰鐵綫似的粉絲蒸元貝

The Pan Fried Buns was also another cold cut?! Again, might have been pan fried an hour before we placed the order. The presentation was to untidy!

微温的生煎飽

'Beat Cucumber' - the cucumber was completely unprofessionally 'beaten' and the presentation was really messy. I tried hard to make it to be a little better in order to take a photo. And it was absolutely tasteless.

略似拍過的手拍青瓜
Roast Chicken - HK$48 or a half chicken. Quite a good deal, I gave it a marginal pass.

脆皮雞勉強合格

Foo Lum Restaurant 富臨酒家 - 1/F, 72-86 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. This is a chain restaurant which has many branches in Hong Kong.

This restaurant is a mid-range restaurant, reasonably decorated and priced. Services are so so, but food quality is totally unacceptable.

The other night when we went there, the lift was out of order and we had to walk. The staircases were flooding. Luckily there weren't any accident. But I must say this is the last time I visit this restaurant.

Hong Kong Food Blog - Black Listed Restaurant

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Home Made Cold Noodle

Hong Kong is very hot in summer. I always want to eat cold cut but for safety reason, try not to eat outside. So I have decided to make it myself. But Cantonese don't have much cold dishes and they are quite difficult to do. I have therefore decided to go for Japanese. In fact, I always do this in summer.

My cold cut dinner is extremely easy and quick to do. Believe it or not, mine is even quicker than Nigella Lawson's. I only take five minutes to get this cold noodle done. There is only one little preparation work to do - get ready some cool and cold water. I'm sure most of you have these always available at home. NOTE: These cool and cold water must have been boiled. Do not use water direct from tap.

OK? Let's start.

My recipe is for one person. If you have more, just expand it.

1. Get some cool water and cold water ready.
2. Boil water and add soba. Let it simmer for three minutes.
3. Transfer soba to cool water, drain.
4. Transfer soba to cold water, drain.
5. Dish up and add cold soba soup.
6. Add a can of sardine (any flavour).

Home Made Japanese Soba with Sardines

This Japanese sardine has three flavours. I love the spicy one. Put it in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

As a balance of diet, I also had a few slices of pineapple as my dessert. Wow, very yummy and healthy.


The whole dinner took me five minutes to cook. My kitchen was completely free from smoke and oil, and it was extremely easy to do the cleaning work. What a lovely cold dinner.

Hong Kong Food Blog - Home Made Soba with Sardines